patrol 4.2 engine

[vwboogly]

just bought a 4.2 petrol patrol and have noticed it loosing water,and has got a white capaccino fluff under the oil cap.head gasket im guessing!
it has done 320000,is it worth putting a new head on this block?
has anyone got a good cheap engine so i can rebuild this one?
will a efi model engine fit in my carby model troll?cheers.

[MQ MAD]

Check your oil on the dipstick , if its milky or has water molecules itll be the head/head gasket
Pull the plugs and look for one in worse condition than the others
Whats the water like in the radiator, is it oily ???
Start the engine cold,with the rad cap off, if you get a gyser type effect comin from the rad, thatll be the head gasket gone
Id be doin a few more checks before assuming it needs to be ripped to bits

Cheapest to fix, depending on how bad the head could be ,it could be a simple head gasket replacement, machined head, head rebuild, 2nd hand motor or a full rebuild
Depending on what the car owes you, a 2nd hand motor could get you by,thatll depend on if your engine is stuffed and how much itll cost to fix
EFI 4.2 will fit in , but youll need all the EFI gear to hook it up
Another option is find a wreck with a good motor ,then unload the leftovers and recoup some $$$

[vwboogly]

yes,that is my line of thinking too,it has milky oil now but i havent checked spark plugs,it just runs so smooth.my real question im asking is,because it has always run on gas
is it worth putting a new or recoed head on a block that has done over 300000km,i have done this in the past to other cars with bad results (too much for the bottom end)
but i know these engines are very good and strong.and my mates has done nearly 600000km and not been touched.one other option!!!ive got a nice 350 chev sitting in my shed.lol.

[97_gq_lwb]

I have done a few head gaskets on tb42's bottom ends still looked to be in great condition.
I would just have the head serviced crack tested machined etc as i have never had to replace one just the gasket had failed.